Factors That Influence Climate

Terms: Weather: The current state of the atmosphere. Climate: A 30 year average for a particular area.

Factors That Influence Temperature Factor 1. Latitude 2. Nearness to the center of large land masses. Influence As latitude increases, the average temperature drops. Have wide ranges of temperature, between day and night and seasonally.

Warm Cold

Factor Nearness to large bodies of water Influence Coastal areas do not have large ranges in temperature. The water moderates the temperature.

Factor Location near large mountains. Influence Windward sides are cooled while leeward sides are warmed.

Factor Altitude Ocean Currents Influence As altitude increases, temperature drops. Warms the temp. of Eastern coastal areas and cools Western coastal areas.

Factors that effect Precipitation Factor Latitude Influence Low pressure at 0 0 and 60 0 North and South produce heavy precipitation. High pressure at 30 0 N and S produce dry climates.

Heavy Rain Dry Climate

Factor Nearness to large landmasses Nearness to large bodies of water Influence Tend to have dry climates Tend to have higher than average precipitation.

Factor Wind Direction Influence Wind direction determines which side of a mountain will receive the most precipitation. Windward = Wet Leeward = Desert.